Youth from six USMB churches participate in SOAR Central Valley 2024 held June 10-15. The vision for SOAR Central Valley is to bring together English and Spanish church teams to be equipped and to serve along local ministry partners.
SOAR, a mission training program of Multiply, has three components: orientation to prepare teams for a cross-cultural experience, assignment with local mission partners and debrief in preparation for returning home. SOAR welcomes church teams comprised of youth as well as families, small groups or multi-generational volunteers.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” John 13:34-35
“Churches came alongside one another and embraced completely John 13:34-35,” says Silvia Lopez, the Multiply Western USA staff member who coordinated SOAR Central Valley 2024. “The church teams served with love and care as they worked together, stepped out of their comfort zones and grew together in their faith.”
Pacific District Conference churches that participated in SOAR Central Valley were New Life Community Church, Dinuba, Calif.; Ebenezer Church, Portland, Ore.; Templo De Oración, Traver, Calif.; Adonai Church, Fresno, Calif.; Reedley (Calif.) MB Church, and Iglesia De La Comunidad, Raisin City, Calif.
SOAR Central Valley began with a day of orientation that involved Bible study, worship and team building activities. The 70 participants spent the next two days serving on one of two outreach teams.
New Life Community (NLC) in Dinuba, California, hosted an Art and Science Children’s Camp alongside Ebenezer and Templo De Oracion. Children and their parents moved through 22 stations during the camp.
Adonai Church in Fresno, California, worked with Reedley and Iglesia De La Comunidad to hold a carnival that drew more than 70 people from the community. The families enjoyed a free meal, played games and listened to lively Christian music.
“During SOAR Central Valley both NLC and Adonai created space for leadership to grow within their churches,” Lopez says. “Interns from the two churches lead two days of SOAR, helping one another in their strengths and weaknesses. It was great to see the interns lead as they stepped out of their comfort zone sand helped others within their church teams serve in their fullest potential. God’s Holy Spirit was in the mist as individuals helped one another, attempted or did something they never done before, for example, making cotton candy.”
The next day, SOAR participants volunteered at one of three Fresno area ministries. The group that went to Open Gate Ministries in Dinuba did some painting and other work for this ministry that works with under-resourced individuals. The MCC Global Center in Reedley hosted a group of students that organized resources. The students that went to Poverello House, a ministry that served the homeless community in Fresno, served a meal.
The last day of the assignment portion of SOAR started on the Fresno Pacific University campus with a devotional and a presentation on preparing for a ministry career. Then the SOAR participants boarded school buses to tour three ministries that have found creative ways to serve their communities, including a local church that constructed a Wi-Fi tower to serve the neighborhood, a church located in an inner city and the Youth for Christ Campus Life Center.
The final day of SOAR Central Valley was focused on debriefing the students. The day included a devotion, communion, small group discussions and input on what next steps participants could take. The day ended with a banquet and games.
Lopez shares these highlights of SOAR Central Valley 2024:
- One person who attended the Adonai carnival was visiting from the state of Washington and walked two miles to the carnival. She was overjoyed as she stayed for the concert and a 15-minute message.
- On Sunday morning an individual who received a flyer from Adonai Church attended church and stated he would be back.
- There was a child from Reedley MB Church who accepted Jesus as her Savior.
- A youth living at Open Gate Ministry with his mom and siblings has been attending New Life Community. He considered himself an atheist and now is a follower of Jesus Christ. He wants to be baptized.
- The Oregon team came to SOAR as individuals and left as a team. “The Spirit of the Lord moved in their hearts and minds as they served alongside the NLC team, creating a special bound of love and unity among themselves,” Lopez says.
- A woman from Adonai Church said, “I have truly experienced breakthrough of feeling less than my white brethren. I was able to see their tender hearts of kindness and love toward me and the congregation. I honestly thought this would never happen in my lifetime.”
Reflecting on the week, especially the teamwork involved in hosting the camp and carnival, Lopez says, “The love of God reigned in their hearts as the teams served with one purpose, to glorify the name of the Lord in conduct, speech and action.”
With files from Silvia Lopez, Multiply Western USA mission team training coordinator
Connie Faber joined the magazine staff in 1994 and assumed the duties of editor in 2004. She has won awards from the Evangelical Press Association for her writing and editing. Faber is the co-author of Family Matters: Discovering the Mennonite Brethren. She and her husband, David, have two daughters, one son, one daughter-in-law, one son-in-law and three grandchildren. They are members of Ebenfeld MB Church in Hillsboro, Kansas.
